Agios Nikolaos Marina, Crete - Possible winter 2018/9 liveboard

[rodsuter]

Thanks to everyone who responded, and the info that I found on Noonsite certainly covered most questions.

Have contacted the Marina.

They havent set up the 2018/9 price list yet, but basing decisions on the 2017/8 prices and info obtained, it certainly looks like a fairly good place to spend next winter. - maybe meet some of you there

 

[crisjones]

I said that 'Agios Nikolaos Marina does not have a clubhouse and that this marina will not suit those who enjoy a clubhouse style of winter entertainment'. That post was made incidentally with the full knowledge and agreement of the marina management.

Whilst the first part of the statement is strictly accurate in that the Marina itself does not have a clubhouse it is very misleading.
The local sailing club has premises on the marina that cruisers have used as a "clubhouse" for many years and whilst it is in no way a plush "sailing club" that some people associate with such a description it is a functional and more than adequate building that can be used by cruisers. The club has a large room upstairs that can accomodate over 30 people, it has a large patio area outside along with small toilet and kitchen.
The Sailing Club is used by cruisers for all manner of activities including weekly BBQ, music groups, games and special events. Many other activities take place in local cafes and bars so to state that "this marina will not suit those who enjoy a clubhouse style of winter entertainment" is wholly inaccurate since Ag Nik Marina offers exactly that style of winter entertainment.
Relations between cruisers and the sailing club have always been excellent, in addition the small donations cruisers make every time they use the club add up to a significant amount of money over the winter and this goes directly to the Sailing Club and is spent entirely for the benefit of the youngsters who sail with the club.
Of course everyone has the choice of joining in or not but the "clubhouse scene" is definitely there if you want it.

 

[Tony Cross]

Whilst the first part of the statement is strictly accurate in that the Marina itself does not have a clubhouse it is very misleading.
The local sailing club has premises on the marina that cruisers have used as a "clubhouse" for many years and whilst it is in no way a plush "sailing club" that some people associate with such a description it is a functional and more than adequate building that can be used by cruisers. The club has a large room upstairs that can accomodate over 30 people, it has a large patio area outside along with small toilet and kitchen.
The Sailing Club is used by cruisers for all manner of activities including weekly BBQ, music groups, games and special events. Many other activities take place in local cafes and bars so to state that "this marina will not suit those who enjoy a clubhouse style of winter entertainment" is wholly inaccurate since Ag Nik Marina offers exactly that style of winter entertainment.
Relations between cruisers and the sailing club have always been excellent, in addition the small donations cruisers make every time they use the club add up to a significant amount of money over the winter and this goes directly to the Sailing Club and is spent entirely for the benefit of the youngsters who sail with the club.
Of course everyone has the choice of joining in or not but the "clubhouse scene" is definitely there if you want it.

Wrong on all counts, because you don't know, and didn't bother to find out, the history of our access to that building and the terms on which we were given permission to use it.

For others not familiar with the marina the 'Yacht Club' is a building in the marina that was gifted by the town to the local sailing school, they have an upstairs committee room that can indeed accommodate around 30 people.

When I arrived in the marina in winter 2006 others had already sought permission to hold a Sunday BBQ on the terrace of the Yacht Club, we stored the tables and chairs outside on there when not in use. Our very first use of the inside of the building was negotiated by myself in order to hold the first marina Christmas lunch that I organised. I charged everyone an additional 1 Euro to help 'pay' for that use, and the agreement was that we could use the inside of the Yacht Club occasionally provided they didn't need it themselves of course. When we bought the fold-up tables for the Sunday BBQ (which I organised and ran back then) I asked permission to store them inside the Yacht Club building for security and at that point we added a 50 Cent charge to the Sunday BBQ fee to help 'pay' for that use of the building. When Jerry made all the newer wooden tables we again asked permission to store these inside because of course they take up a lot more room.

Over the years we have organised other events in that building that couldn't be organised in a bar or taverna, Burns Night for example. In addition many of the winter groups in the marina have used the Yacht Club, the music group rehearse there, we've had a computer group in there, yoga classes in there, and several other groups who can't really organise themselves in a bar or taverna.

The Yacht Club is not, and was never intended, to substitute as a 'clubhouse' because the town, who run the marina remember, do not want marina winter residents buying cheap beer (usually from Lidl, money which goes to Germans and not Greeks) staying in the marina all winter - as you mostly did. One of the attractions of the marina at Ag Nik is the close proximity of a sizeable town and the convenience of the shopping and transport services available. Reasonable people understand that there is a price to pay for the convenience of having a town outside the gates and that price is that we make use of it as much as we can by organising all events in local bars and tavernas where possible. The town certainly believes that, that's the reason they wanted a marine here in the first place!

For many years before the Adult Day Care group arrived an excellent relationship had been established between the winter marina residents and the people of the town because we held numerous events in bars and tavernas and used the Yacht Club only on rare occasions for events that couldn't be organised anywhere else. This good relationship is vital for everyone in the marina because the town leases the marina from the Greek state and the local town council has to approve all expenditure for upgrades and improvements to the marina infrastructure. In the past when the town saw us as beneficial the local council was very supportive, it helped also to have a marina-friendly mayor. The latest mayor however is not marina-friendly at all and so it is even more important that the marina residents are seen as beneficial to the town if we hope to see the marina improvement continue.

As an aside you almost certainly don't know that a majority of local council members are hoteliers, their view is that it's a waste spending money on a marina 'hotel' with only 200 hundred berths, instead they believe it's better value to spend money on the many 400 and 500 bed hotels in the town (which they own of course)....

The Adult Day Care Group presumed to take over the Yacht Club as though it were a clubhouse. As I have said, loud and drunken parties were held in there over the last two winters almost on a nightly basis. The initial impact of these parties was felt by the local residents who live across the road from the Yacht Club. They didn't mind the occasional event we held in there, particularly since were were then seen as beneficial to the town, but two or three noisy events every week was simply too much.

No, they didn't complain to you because they don't know you. They complained to me and my wife (who is very well known in the town) to Jerry and his wife (who are equally well known) and to others I won't name but who are also very well known long-term winter residents. Complaints were also made to the Yacht Club committee, the president of the committee confided to me last year that he was getting lots of complaints and being asked why he allowed the building to be used in that way by marina residents. The marina office also fielded regular complaints about the noise, I know this because they told me so.

In addition, the noticeable drop in business for those bars and tavernas that we had used in the past for marina events also raised many negative comments. And not just amongst the bar and taverna owners, my wife was asked on an almost daily basis by shopkeepers and small businesses what was going on in the marina and why had the good relationship disappeared.

What you also don't know is how very close the Adult Day Care Group's clubhouse activities came to having the town deny use of the Yacht Club building at all to marina residents. Instead the marina took the view that if their lower prices were attracting the 'something for nothing' brigade they would increase their prices to price them out. Thanks for that by the way. The marina intend to keep increasing their prices until the 'something for nothing' brigade go somewhere else. Fortunately that seems to be working because the worst aspects of the Adult Day Care Group have now gone elsewhere.

There is no clubhouse in Agios Nikolaos Marina because neither the marina nor the town want one. If the remnants of the Adult Day Care Group still in the marina continue to treat the Yacht Club as a clubhouse, rather than as an occasional use location, they will loose all access to it eventually. That would be a disaster for the Sunday BBQ and all the other small groups who make such good use of it.

Those who are looking for a clubhouse style winter location should not come to Agios Nikolaos Marina. It's not just me saying that, the marina management agree, give them a call and ask if you don't believe me.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Wrong on all counts, because you don't know, and didn't bother to find out, the history of our access to that building and the terms on which we were given permission to use it.

For others not familiar with the marina the 'Yacht Club' is a building in the marina that was gifted by the town to the local sailing school, they have an upstairs committee room that can indeed accommodate around 30 people.

When I arrived in the marina in winter 2006 others had already sought permission to hold a Sunday BBQ on the terrace of the Yacht Club, we stored the tables and chairs outside on there when not in use. Our very first use of the inside of the building was negotiated by myself in order to hold the first marina Christmas lunch that I organised. I charged everyone an additional 1 Euro to help 'pay' for that use, and the agreement was that we could use the inside of the Yacht Club occasionally provided they didn't need it themselves of course. When we bought the fold-up tables for the Sunday BBQ (which I organised and ran back then) I asked permission to store them inside the Yacht Club building for security and at that point we added a 50 Cent charge to the Sunday BBQ fee to help 'pay' for that use of the building. When Jerry made all the newer wooden tables we again asked permission to store these inside because of course they take up a lot more room.

Over the years we have organised other events in that building that couldn't be organised in a bar or taverna, Burns Night for example. In addition many of the winter groups in the marina have used the Yacht Club, the music group rehearse there, we've had a computer group in there, yoga classes in there, and several other groups who can't really organise themselves in a bar or taverna.

The Yacht Club is not, and was never intended, to substitute as a 'clubhouse' because the town, who run the marina remember, do not want marina winter residents buying cheap beer (usually from Lidl, money which goes to Germans and not Greeks) staying in the marina all winter - as you mostly did. One of the attractions of the marina at Ag Nik is the close proximity of a sizeable town and the convenience of the shopping and transport services available. Reasonable people understand that there is a price to pay for the convenience of having a town outside the gates and that price is that we make use of it as much as we can by organising all events in local bars and tavernas where possible. The town certainly believes that, that's the reason they wanted a marine here in the first place!

For many years before the Adult Day Care group arrived an excellent relationship had been established between the winter marina residents and the people of the town because we held numerous events in bars and tavernas and used the Yacht Club only on rare occasions for events that couldn't be organised anywhere else. This good relationship is vital for everyone in the marina because the town leases the marina from the Greek state and the local town council has to approve all expenditure for upgrades and improvements to the marina infrastructure. In the past when the town saw us as beneficial the local council was very supportive, it helped also to have a marina-friendly mayor. The latest mayor however is not marina-friendly at all and so it is even more important that the marina residents are seen as beneficial to the town if we hope to see the marina improvement continue.

As an aside you almost certainly don't know that a majority of local council members are hoteliers, their view is that it's a waste spending money on a marina 'hotel' with only 200 hundred berths, instead they believe it's better value to spend money on the many 400 and 500 bed hotels in the town (which they own of course)....

The Adult Day Care Group presumed to take over the Yacht Club as though it were a clubhouse. As I have said, loud and drunken parties were held in there over the last two winters almost on a nightly basis. The initial impact of these parties was felt by the local residents who live across the road from the Yacht Club. They didn't mind the occasional event we held in there, particularly since were were then seen as beneficial to the town, but two or three noisy events every week was simply too much.

No, they didn't complain to you because they don't know you. They complained to me and my wife (who is very well known in the town) to Jerry and his wife (who are equally well known) and to others I won't name but who are also very well known long-term winter residents. Complaints were also made to the Yacht Club committee, the president of the committee confided to me last year that he was getting lots of complaints and being asked why he allowed the building to be used in that way by marina residents. The marina office also fielded regular complaints about the noise, I know this because they told me so.

In addition, the noticeable drop in business for those bars and tavernas that we had used in the past for marina events also raised many negative comments. And not just amongst the bar and taverna owners, my wife was asked on an almost daily basis by shopkeepers and small businesses what was going on in the marina and why had the good relationship disappeared.

What you also don't know is how very close the Adult Day Care Group's clubhouse activities came to having the town deny use of the Yacht Club building at all to marina residents. Instead the marina took the view that if their lower prices were attracting the 'something for nothing' brigade they would increase their prices to price them out. Thanks for that by the way. The marina intend to keep increasing their prices until the 'something for nothing' brigade go somewhere else. Fortunately that seems to be working because the worst aspects of the Adult Day Care Group have now gone elsewhere.

There is no clubhouse in Agios Nikolaos Marina because neither the marina nor the town want one. If the remnants of the Adult Day Care Group still in the marina continue to treat the Yacht Club as a clubhouse, rather than as an occasional use location, they will loose all access to it eventually. That would be a disaster for the Sunday BBQ and all the other small groups who make such good use of it.

Those who are looking for a clubhouse style winter location should not come to Agios Nikolaos Marina. It's not just me saying that, the marina management agree, give them a call and ask if you don't believe me.

Tony I never been to Ag Nic so I can't comment on what you say , but I supspect that the only reason that the Marina is rising its prices is because of what going on else where and the Marina is fully booked , i.e. Turkey plus the word of mouth of cruisers ,
Nothing to do with keeping anybody out , if it wasn't so full , believe me they would be crying out for cruisers and happy to take anybody money .

You just need to look at places like Ragusa there was 10 boats in 2009 in 2010 there was 150 and it grows each year same goes for Licata and now just over the last year the same happening to Roccella ! Just a few boats last year this year there quite a crowed .
Marinas can lose cruisers just as quick as they can get them , Almerimar is a good ex sample, they too use to be fully booked from one year to the next , then over night because of Marina policy people when else where and it taken some years and a change of policy to get people back .
Of cause no one wish this on Ag Nic ,
We would had like to visit Ag Nic for a winter stay , but what really puts me off any winter Marina is when cruisers get involved in Marina business,and each year we read more and more of the going on at Ag Nic , it causes problem between cruisers and I for one could do without the stress and Marina politics so we not bothered go , maybe if things change in the further we may consider it again , but in the mean time there plenty of nice places to stay around the Med who happy to take my money without all this Argo .

As a cruiser if I wish to buy my beer at lidi or any where else and not pay the over priced that bars charges that's really up to me and if I rather drink with friends on my boat or anywhere else come to that as long as I am not braking Marina rules that's also up to me , if he local bars don't like it , that's there problem after all we do live in a free world ,
Of cause Marina could have rules to say where you can buy your beer and where you have to drink it and what shops we can use , but I guess they would soon find them self with an empty Marina .
Just one last thing , maybe you like to pass on to the Marina , words going around that cruisers are not welcome ,
They may be the next Almerimar if they not carfull , no matter how full they are this year . .

 

[Tony Cross]

Vic, There has been no change of policy at Ag Nik Marina, at least as far as I'm aware, everyone is welcome and there are no marina rules that specify what you can buy nor where you can buy them from - and I never suggested that there were! My comment about the beer from Lidl was simply to highlight the dismay of the locals that not only were they being kept awake by drunken parties, but the money to buy the beer being drunk didn't even benefit Greeks...

The facts don't bear out your prediction, the time taken for the marina to become fully booked over winter is decreasing year on year. In addition, Ag Nik is a small marina on an island that is a long way from anywhere else and that is not terribly pleasant to cruise in the height of the Meltemi season. The people who chose to winter here make a deliberate decision to come here, it's not a marina that you pass on the way to somewhere else and think it would be a nice place to stay. In addition, a large percentage (I would guess around 30% but I have no access to real figures) are cruisers who have wintered here in previous years and have come back again, and many of those have been here for more than two winters. We also get a fair number of cruisers here who have come because of recommendations from those who have been here before. The marina invites all residents (winter and summer) to complete an online evaluation of many aspects of the marina, and whilst that has of course highlighted areas where improvements are needed, the overall satisfaction is very high and an overwhelming majority have said they would consider returning.

I receive a lot of emails from people considering Ag Nik as a winter location, and not just from CA members, my pilot for Crete attracts a lot of emails from people asking questions. I have never had an email asking whether Ag Nik is a good marina for a noisy party-style winter, but I have had many from people wanting reassurance that it's NOT a party-style marina. I received one only yesterday from someone who had seen this thread and who was considering Ag Nik as a future winter destination and wanted to be sure that he wouldn't be in the midst of a noisy party-style marina.

I fully recognise that some people want a noisy party-style winter marina and I am not judging people who like that sort of winter. We all like different things. My point in writing my original Noonsite post that chrisjones referred to, and my long explanation above, is to make it clear that Ag Nik Marina does not have a dedicated clubhouse where noisy parties can be regularly held.

My sole objective here is to retain the use of the Yacht Club building for those activities that cannot be organised anywhere else, and thus preserve our access to it for the benefit of everyone in the marina. I am firmly of the opinion that if the Yacht Club here is again commandeered as a 'clubhouse' for holding noisy parties on a regular basis then access to it by marina residents will either be withdrawn or seriously curtailed. That is why I continue to suggest that those people who enjoy a noisy party-style winter should probably not consider wintering in Ag Nik.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Tony I am not arguing with you and as I said I can't comment good or bad as we never use Ag Nic as a winter stop over although as you know we have considered it in the pass and still do .
I posting here on what being said . At less 20 boats that winter out there last year know me personally.
Has you so rightly said people have winter there on recommendation of others and this is very much the case in many places , so when they read stuff like what being said here it does the Marina no good at all .

Has a very long term liveaboard like most, winter is a time when we want to socialise , meet new people and make new friends and in most case at some point people want to party and with party and large groups come noises ,
I don't think that can be helped that unless you stop all party and social gatherings ,
it seen to me that the complain here isn't about the social gathering but more where they are help , in other words , would the same people complaining still be complaining if the social gathering where held in their bars and restaurants, I guess not .

Regarding where beer or anything else that brought , someone always loses out if you buy in one shop the next shop loses , has an whole the community doesn't , lidi still employ local people , still pay taxes , anyway if it's good enough for the bar to buy their stuff from there and then sell it at a profit, then it good enough for the cruisers .

Correct me if I am wrong but so I understand for people who have stay at Ag Nic , the bars around the Marina can be noisy , I wonder what the case would be if cruisers started complaining about them .

These so call party's , they wouldn't be the type where every one throw there boat. Keys in a pot , now there a party .

I think we mistaken social gathering here for wild party's , and I not yet came across a cruisers Marina that didn't want socialising, if any thing that what most cruisers are looking for out of a winter Marina , other wise they be anchored next to us right now .

Marina political hey , who needs it .

 

[crisjones]

Wrong on all counts, because you don't know, and didn't bother to find out, the history of our access to that building and the terms on which we were given permission to use it.

For others not familiar with the marina the 'Yacht Club' is a building in the marina that was gifted by the town to the local sailing school, they have an upstairs committee room that can indeed accommodate around 30 people.

When I arrived in the marina in winter 2006 others had already sought permission to hold a Sunday BBQ on the terrace of the Yacht Club, we stored the tables and chairs outside on there when not in use. Our very first use of the inside of the building was negotiated by myself in order to hold the first marina Christmas lunch that I organised. I charged everyone an additional 1 Euro to help 'pay' for that use, and the agreement was that we could use the inside of the Yacht Club occasionally provided they didn't need it themselves of course. When we bought the fold-up tables for the Sunday BBQ (which I organised and ran back then) I asked permission to store them inside the Yacht Club building for security and at that point we added a 50 Cent charge to the Sunday BBQ fee to help 'pay' for that use of the building. When Jerry made all the newer wooden tables we again asked permission to store these inside because of course they take up a lot more room.

Over the years we have organised other events in that building that couldn't be organised in a bar or taverna, Burns Night for example. In addition many of the winter groups in the marina have used the Yacht Club, the music group rehearse there, we've had a computer group in there, yoga classes in there, and several other groups who can't really organise themselves in a bar or taverna.

The Yacht Club is not, and was never intended, to substitute as a 'clubhouse' because the town, who run the marina remember, do not want marina winter residents buying cheap beer (usually from Lidl, money which goes to Germans and not Greeks) staying in the marina all winter - as you mostly did. One of the attractions of the marina at Ag Nik is the close proximity of a sizeable town and the convenience of the shopping and transport services available. Reasonable people understand that there is a price to pay for the convenience of having a town outside the gates and that price is that we make use of it as much as we can by organising all events in local bars and tavernas where possible. The town certainly believes that, that's the reason they wanted a marine here in the first place!

For many years before the Adult Day Care group arrived an excellent relationship had been established between the winter marina residents and the people of the town because we held numerous events in bars and tavernas and used the Yacht Club only on rare occasions for events that couldn't be organised anywhere else. This good relationship is vital for everyone in the marina because the town leases the marina from the Greek state and the local town council has to approve all expenditure for upgrades and improvements to the marina infrastructure. In the past when the town saw us as beneficial the local council was very supportive, it helped also to have a marina-friendly mayor. The latest mayor however is not marina-friendly at all and so it is even more important that the marina residents are seen as beneficial to the town if we hope to see the marina improvement continue.

As an aside you almost certainly don't know that a majority of local council members are hoteliers, their view is that it's a waste spending money on a marina 'hotel' with only 200 hundred berths, instead they believe it's better value to spend money on the many 400 and 500 bed hotels in the town (which they own of course)....

The Adult Day Care Group presumed to take over the Yacht Club as though it were a clubhouse. As I have said, loud and drunken parties were held in there over the last two winters almost on a nightly basis. The initial impact of these parties was felt by the local residents who live across the road from the Yacht Club. They didn't mind the occasional event we held in there, particularly since were were then seen as beneficial to the town, but two or three noisy events every week was simply too much.

No, they didn't complain to you because they don't know you. They complained to me and my wife (who is very well known in the town) to Jerry and his wife (who are equally well known) and to others I won't name but who are also very well known long-term winter residents. Complaints were also made to the Yacht Club committee, the president of the committee confided to me last year that he was getting lots of complaints and being asked why he allowed the building to be used in that way by marina residents. The marina office also fielded regular complaints about the noise, I know this because they told me so.

In addition, the noticeable drop in business for those bars and tavernas that we had used in the past for marina events also raised many negative comments. And not just amongst the bar and taverna owners, my wife was asked on an almost daily basis by shopkeepers and small businesses what was going on in the marina and why had the good relationship disappeared.

What you also don't know is how very close the Adult Day Care Group's clubhouse activities came to having the town deny use of the Yacht Club building at all to marina residents. Instead the marina took the view that if their lower prices were attracting the 'something for nothing' brigade they would increase their prices to price them out. Thanks for that by the way. The marina intend to keep increasing their prices until the 'something for nothing' brigade go somewhere else. Fortunately that seems to be working because the worst aspects of the Adult Day Care Group have now gone elsewhere.

There is no clubhouse in Agios Nikolaos Marina because neither the marina nor the town want one. If the remnants of the Adult Day Care Group still in the marina continue to treat the Yacht Club as a clubhouse, rather than as an occasional use location, they will loose all access to it eventually. That would be a disaster for the Sunday BBQ and all the other small groups who make such good use of it.

Those who are looking for a clubhouse style winter location should not come to Agios Nikolaos Marina. It's not just me saying that, the marina management agree, give them a call and ask if you don't believe me.

Why start your post with such an inaccurate statement as “wrong on all counts”? The purpose of my post was to point out that the Sailing Club premises are used by cruisers for activities such as BBQ, music group and games – you then confirm in your post that it does indeed get used in that way so how can I be “wrong on all counts”. I am well aware that the Sailing Club is used with the kind permission of the Club Committee and never had any desire to upset that relationship.
Most people would accept the use of the word “clubhouse” to describe a place used for such activities, I never suggested that the Sailing Club was available solely for the use of yachties as a permanent and full-time Clubhouse. If you do not like the use of the word “clubhouse” or want to call it something else then that is up to you – it does not change the fact that the Sailing Club is used by yachties for various activities.

The marina has got much busier over the last few years and has been fully booked for the last 3 winters with many more live-aboards than ever before. This simple fact means that much more money is spent in the town by yachties than ever before, they all need food, drink, services, tavernas etc and the increase in numbers must automatically translate into more money being spent. If some businesses, bars and tavernas felt they did not get their share of that spending then maybe they were not offering what the yachties wanted. Many other businesses, bars and tavernas did receive lots of custom from yachties over the winter and I am pretty sure they were not complaining that yachties were not using the Town. Places go in and out of favour from one year to the next for various reasons not because yachties do not use the Town. The increase in Marina fee receipts over the last few years must also be a benefit to the Town since the Marina is administered by the Town Council.

Yachties are an independent bunch and they are perfectly capable of deciding when, where and how they spend their money – they do not need or appreciate any guidance from you.

You infer that both the Marina and Sailing Club received numerous complaints about activities in the Sailing Club, surely both the Marina Management and the Sailing Club Committee have an obligation to ensure any such complaints are dealt with and resolved? The simplest and most effective way to do that would be to speak to the people concerned – the Marina could have sent an email or put up a poster advising marina residents of any concerns, the Sailing Club Committee could easily have spoken to the yachties about any complaints. To the best of my knowledge over two winters neither the Marina Management or the Sailing Club Committee made any mention of these numerous complaints to any of the marina residents, if such complaints were genuine and valid then it would seem the Marina Management and Sailing Club Committee failed in their duty to address and resolve them. Personally I had no desire or intention to upset any local residents or businesses and had I been aware of any issues then I would have been more than happy to address those concerns, I am pretty sure all other yachties using the Sailing Club were of the same mindset. If we are not told about any problems then how are we supposed to deal with them?

The recent price increase to Marina Rates is almost certainly due to simple business economics and supply and demand to suggest it is an attempt to force certain people to leave the marina is more than a bit fanciful. The Marina had not increased prices for at least two years prior to this rise and the Marina has been full and oversubscribed for three winters now, any business that did not take advantage of such a situation by raising prices would be failing in it’s obligations so it is hardly surprising that prices have been raised, it was an inevitable outcome of such popularity.
I presume your little comment of “Thanks for that by the way” was meant to convey your displeasure at having to pay increased fees, however you seem to have overlooked the fact that Annual Contract Rates did not increase so you are not actually paying any more than previously.

To suggest that “loud and drunken parties were held in there over the last two winters almost on a nightly basis” is a gross exaggeration of the true picture. In addition to the weekly BBQ there were around 10 to 12 other “special event” type parties held in the Sailing Club each winter – that is less than one extra event per fortnight. Even the BBQ was not held every week because of weather or Sailing Club events. So even your later statement of “two or three noisy events every week” is well overstating the true number. The BBQ and “special events” were generally very well attended indicating that most yachties are fun loving and sociable people, however most are well aware of our transient status and try hard not to cause any friction with local people.

Yachties move around and so it is not surprising that some of the Adult Day Care Group have moved elsewhere that is what most cruisers do, however it is quite clear that the Ag Nik Branch of the Victor Meldrew Club is alive and well.

 

[jordanbasset]

Only visited the marina once, that was when we were land based. Met up with Paul (Carmel of this parish) and his lovely wife, who kindly invited us on to their boat and showed us the liveaboard comraderie we have come to expect. Seemed a nice marina and the people we met there were on the whole welcoming.

 

[Carmel2]

Your making me blush!

 

[jordanbasset]

Your making me blush!